christopher bell is staring at a rough early-season scoreboard after three races in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver is not sugarcoating what it feels like. As of 3: 00 p. m. ET Saturday, he sits 24th in the standings with 59 points, 127 points behind leader Tyler Reddick, after a start defined by trouble, contact, and one late rebound. The next pivot point comes at Phoenix this Sunday, where the No. 20 team is trying to turn pace into consistent results.
Standings snapshot: 24th place after three races, but one rebound at COTA
Three races into the season, the Cup standings are already messy, and christopher bell is one of the biggest examples of how quickly things can swing. He opened the year with speed but not the finish at the 2026 Daytona 500, running near the front before trouble struck and leaving him 35th at the line. A week later at Atlanta, contact from Carson Hocevar sent Bell into the wall, and the result was a P21—especially notable because Atlanta was a place where he stood in victory lane last year.
The tone shifted at COTA. A late caution brought a tire decision from the No. 20 crew, and the call hit: Bell surged from P16 to P3 over the closing stretch. That finish delivered 34 points and moved him up seven spots in the standings. Even with the jump, the early gap remains large, and the No. 20 group is still working out of the bottom half of the chart.
Inside the No. 20 camp: pressure vs. patience, and why points “absolutely matter”
Bell has made clear he is not brushing aside the slow start simply because the calendar is still young. In a recent conversation, he described the frustration plainly: “Yeah, it sucks. It definitely, definitely sucks. ” He added that under an older format it would have felt far less urgent, but now, “it absolutely matters. ”
Bell also pointed to the current system’s emphasis on wins and the points they bring, noting it can help teams make up ground faster than in the past. Still, he was cautious about forecasting anything big this early, saying it is “still too early to know” whether the team will have “a shot at the regular-season championship or not. ”
The immediate performance concern is straightforward: through three races, Bell and the team have yet to bank points during stages or at the finish. The target now is a run near the front of the standings by the close of the regular season, but Bell acknowledged the opening weeks have left a sour taste.
Adam Stevens on the reset: focus on pace, not panic, ahead of Phoenix
While Bell is candid about the predicament, crew chief Adam Stevens is presenting a steadier internal temperature. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Stevens said the focus in the garage is on separating pace from results—because if the speed is real, the finishes should follow sooner or later.
Stevens also noted that the opening part of the schedule can turn races into a game of chance, and from his view on the pit box, the team has not lacked pace at any of the three venues so far. The mood inside the group is not panic, but it is not denial either: there is one eye on the scoreboard as the season gathers speed.
Next up is Phoenix this Sunday, and the mission is simple but demanding: stack results week after week. For christopher bell, the early hole is real—yet the COTA charge showed what’s possible if the calls land and the speed finally turns into points when it counts.
